Self-closing, plural cavity case



Oct. 14, 1958 J. T. KING SELF-CLOSING, PLURAL CAVITY CASE Filed July .30, 1956 United States Patent SELF-CLOSING, PLURAL CAVITY CASE James T. King, Glendale, Calif.

Application July 30, 1956, Serial No. 601,019

3 Claims. (Cl. 206-41) This invention relates to containers for cigarettes or similarly shaped objects and more particularly to a form thereof affording a plurality of cavities and to which access may be had to any one of the cavities while keeping the others closed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a container for articles such as cigarettes or other similar shaped articles in which separate cavities are provided for each of a plurality of articles to be enclosed therein and in which access may be had to any one cavity without opening any other cavity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a self closing container for elongated articles, of which cigarettes are anexample, in which each article is enclosed within a separate cavity and in which each cavity may be opened without opening any other cavity.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container in which the foregoing objectives are realized in practice, which is composed of few parts all of which are susceptible of economical manufacture, is light in weight, attractive in appearance, and reliable for its intended purpose.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts, and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts described, by way of example, in the following specification of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention; reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of said specification and in which drawings:

Fig. l is to top perspective of a case or container embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged scale top plan view with one end thereof shown in a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the case moved to open one of the cavities with a portion thereof shown in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1, and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are, respectively, fragmentary, perspective end elevations of an end member and one each of the two forms of intermediate members of which the case is composed.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated form of the invention is of a six compartment or cavity cigarette case composed of two end members 1, three partition members 2 and two combined partition and end wall members 3; the entire assembly being held together by elastic cords 4, 4 passing through holes 1, 2 and 3 in the ends of all of the members and secured to the end members by any appropriate means, such as knots 5 disposed in counterbores 6 in the end members. The various members are preferably formed as plastic moldings of various colors and may be assembled all of the same color or of diiferent colors in various decorative arrangements.

The end members 1 have flat, parallel top and bottom faces 7 and 8 connected by a vertical wall 9. The outer ice face 10 thereof is provided with a recess 11 extending between the end portions 10 in which the counterbores 6 are located. The inner face of the wall 9 forms the back of the recess 12 bounded by said wall and by the inner faces of the top and bottom portions of the end members; said recess 12 being bounded at its ends by walls 13 which project in a semicircle beyond the inner edges of the members and which carry a slight ridge portion 14 extending along the outermost portion of the face thereof and said end walls containing the bores 1 extending diametrically through them disposed in the axial line of the counterbores 6 and through which the cords 4 extend.

Adjacent to each end member 1 is a partition member 2 which is of substantially I-shape in cross section except for concave, semicircular end walls 15 at the side facing the member 1 provided with shallow grooves 16 engaging the ridges 14 on the end walls 13 and forming a recess 17 complementing the recess 12 and combining therewith to form a cavity 18 in'which an article such as a cigarette C is contained. The end walls 13 are set slightly inwardly of the outer ends of the members 1 and the adjacent face 19 of the member 1 bounding the outer surface of the end wall-s 13 is of concave, semicircular configuration which complements the curve of the wall 15 to form a shallow cylindrical recess 20.

The opposite side face of the member 2 is reversely identical with the side face adjacent the member 1 forming a recess 21 which combines with the adjacent side face of a member 3 having a complementary recess 22 which combines with the recess 21 to form a second article containing cavity 23. The member 3 between its end Walls is substantially I-shape in cross section forming recesses 22, 22 at each side thereof but at each end is provided with oppositely extending end walls 24, 24 which are similar to the end walls 13 of the member 1 and said end Walls are similarly provided with ridge portions 25 which are similar to the ridges 14 of the member 1 and engage the corresponding grooves 16, 16 in members 2 disposed at each side of the member 3; the said end walls being set inwardly of the outer end faces of the member 3 and similarly complementing the opposed curved portions of the members 2, 2 adjacent thereto to form shallow cylindrical recesses 27.

The case may be composed of any desired number of the said three main parts from two end members 1 with an interposed member 2 with resultant formation of a two cavity case to any desired greaternumber of cavities by the inSertiOn of the required numbers of pairs of additional members comprising one each of a member 2 and a member 3. The elastic cords 4, 4 hold the members yieldingly together enclosing the cavities formed by the opposed recesses in adjacent members and upon 'bend- 'ing the case at the juncture of any two of the component members, as shown in Fig. 3, any cavity can be momentarily opened for insertion or removal of an article. Upon release, the cords will bring the case back to closed condition. It will be appreciated that the case can thus be opened at any cavity and at either side of each cavity.

It will be appreciated that the only physical requirement for the end wall members is that when engaged they shall resist all relative movement between the adjacent members except the rolling action of the edge of one member on the other incident to opening and closing of a cavity as illustrated in Fig. 4. The illustrated formation of rounded end walls having a ridge on the end thereof engageable with a concave portion having a complementary groove has been selected as possessing additional ornamental characteristics, but it will be understood that any other formation of the interengaging wall edges which will permit the said rolling action either with the same or any other ornamentation may be employed as well.

Thus there has been provided a plural cavity case for articles such as cigarettes or cigars or which are generally of uniform cross section and of greater length than diameter and which atfords ready selective access to any of the various cavities; said case being of a simple construction comprising only three different parts which may be assembled in various combinations to form cases having varying numbers of cavities and varying decorative appearance deriving from forming the component part of different colors for selective assembly.

While the foregoing specification discloses a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, it is not to be inferred therefrom that the invention is limited to the specific embodiment disclosed by way of example, and it will be understood that the invention embraces all such changes and modifications and changes in the parts and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a self-closing, plural cavity case for cigarettes or other articles of similar elongated configuration, a plurality of elongated members of I-shape in cross-section and comprising acentral web portion and oppositely, laterally projecting flange portions at each edge of said web portion, said members being arranged in side-by-side relation, each of said members at each end thereof having a portion of an end wall which is complementary to an end wall portion of the adjacent member and said end wall portions of adjacent members combining to enclose the ends of a cavity formed by the meeting edges of the flange portions of said members and the portions of said members extending between the said flange portions; said members comprising a pair of end members having one each of a pair of laterally projecting end wall portions at each end thereof terminating in convexly curved edges generated substantially about the center line of the cavity formed by the end member and an adjacent one of the other members, said other members comprising a first series of intermediate partition members having pairs of oppositely disposed end wall portions at each end thereof with each of said end wall portions being concavely curved at the edge thereof for engagement with the Wall portions of said end members, and a second series of intermediate partition members each having at each end thereof a pair of oppositely disposed laterally projecting end wall portions terminating in convexly curved end edges of the same character as the end wall portions of said end members and adapted to engage the end wall portions of said first series of partition members with resultant closure of the ends of the cavities formed by adjacent members, a first flexible tensioned elastic member having the opposite ends thereof secured to one end of each of said end members and between its ends extending through aligned holes in said partition members, and a second flexible tensioned elastic member having its ends secured to the opposite ends of said end members and extending through holes formed in the ends of said partition members, the tension of said flexible members serving to yieldingly hold said intermediate members clamped together between said end members and to allow said case to be opened at any cavity therein formed by the juncture of any two of said members and said curved formation of said end walls serving to allow said case to be opened by bending it on a line of juncture of any two of said members.

2. A case as claimed in claim 1 in which said end wall members are provided with mating end edges which under the bias provided by said tensioned flexible members resist relative endwise and lateral movement of the members when said case is closed.

3. A case as claimed in claim 2 in which said convex and concave edge portions include mating ridges and grooves extending lengthwise of said edges and etfective under the tension of said flexible members to resist relative endwise movement between adjacent members when the case is closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS 1,999,304 Schowanek Apr. 30, 1935 2,105,517 Auslander Jan. 18, 1938 2,531,737 Lyon Nov. 28, 1950 

